Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Raised by her Rationalist mother in the country, Enola runs wild and a bit uneducated. But then, on her 14th birthday, Enola's mother vanishes. Sherlock won't look for her, and Mycroft is too busy getting Enola enrolled in a boarding school to teach her to be a proper lady. So Enola makes a plan and runs away to London to find her mother.

Lots of action and adventure, with some clues and cyphers thrown in for good measure. This is definitely intended for a younger audience than I, but there's a great deal about the unfair and terrible effects of classism and sexism cleverly hidden in here. I really liked Enola, who is quick-witted without being unbelievable. Her brothers are not characterized precisely as AC Doyle presented them, but that's the worst criticism I can throw at this charming slip of a mystery novel. ( )

An excellent start to a series that captures the spirit of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but told from the point of view of his younger sister. Enola is just a smart and witty as her brother and with a different view of the world, especially the role women play in it. This is a middle grade series, but it doesn't read like one. I think fans of mystery will enjoy this, younger or older. ( )

The only light struggles from the few gas street-lamps that remain unbroken, and from pots of fire suspended above the cobblestones, tended by old men selling boiled sea snails outside the public houses.

Quotations

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But meanwhile, as she looks at the newspaper clipping, her rather long and angular face softens, rendered almost beautiful, by a smile: for she knows that in the secret code of flowers, a rose of any sort signifies love.

Wikipedia in English (1)

When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothersall while attempting to piece together clues to her mother’s strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?